


Step out of your world, Let me show you some of mine

by lildarkone



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: F/F, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lildarkone/pseuds/lildarkone
Summary: Dinah is worried that Helena is always working so decides to take her to a weekend market as a way to relax.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 9
Kudos: 67





	Step out of your world, Let me show you some of mine

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just kind of came to me randomly. I might come back and add a second chapter later, but for right now this is going to be a one off.  
> This is un-beta'd so any mistakes are my own.
> 
> Thanks and have a great day ^.^

Dinah leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed as she watched Helena who was leaning over a table, pouring over maps. Though she couldn’t see the other woman’s face, she knew her lips were moving silently. It was a habit she had noticed Helena did whenever she thought she was alone as if voicing the ideas helped her thought process, but she didn’t want to be overheard. 

They were back from stopping another heist, mopping up the last of Sionis’s men. Now that the big boss was out of the way a power vacuum had occurred and people were scrambling to fill it. The Birds of Prey had had their hands full, with not only the thugs, but keeping out of GCPD’s reach. Turns out the assholes didn’t seem to like vigilantes helping them out. 

Go figure.

Renee had left for the night, probably to go have a drink and celebrate their victory before going to bed. Dinah had actually been about to do something similar when she had found Helena as she was. There was no denying all of them felt passionate about what they were doing. Renee had been a cop after all and Dinah felt a closeness to her mother when she was out helping people. But Helena seemed to have a determination with this that bordered on obsessive. She was a woman of few words and insane discipline. She had a schedule of wake up, work out, eat, workout or plan, go out and fight crime, come back, rinse, and repeat. She didn’t seem to have a lot of fun, though it was clear she loved to fight. But Dinah wondered when the last time she had ever done something just for fun, just because.

An idea popped into her head and she smiled, rapping her knuckles on the frame to let Helena know she was there. She had learned early on not to sneak up on the trained assassin. Usually it ended up with a punch to the face or crossbow pointed at you.

Helena tensed, but relaxed as she recognized the soft footfalls. Sound was something Helena had come to use as a tool over the years, listening for hints and tracking someone without having to look at them. All of the Birds had their own sounds; Renee stomped when she walked, even if in sneakers her steps sounded like long strides taken in combat boots; Dinah was...smooth. It was a strange way to describe a sound, but Helena could never figure out another word. Graceful, like a dancer.

“You do know you can relax right? We won tonight, enjoy it,” Dinah said as she came to stand beside the table, just to Helena’s right.

Helena looked up from the hand-drawn notes and plans, an eyebrow quirked in confusion. “I do. It’s a job well done. I'm just looking,”

“Obsessing,” Dinah interrupted with a cheeky grin. It was the same one that she had flashed when they had been back at the Booby Trap and asked her about her ‘bow and arrow’. The same one that always curled across her lips and flashed her dimples whenever she relaxed and was in a playful mood.

It had taken Helena some time to get used to the teasing. Having grown up with Paolo, Antony, and Guillermo, who were serious about the jobs they had chosen for themselves and teaching a young child to follow in their footsteps, teasing was not something she had a lot of opportunities to deal with. She had dealt with some as a child, by schoolmates who thought she was too spoiled, too soft-spoken, too this, too that.

But the teasing here was different, there was always an undercurrent of affection that helped to take out any sting. It had taken some time for her to recognize it, but now when she heard it she kept from wanting to lash out like the first few times.

“I am not obsessing,” Helena grumbled, flashing her own smile at Dinah. “I am just going over a few things before heading to bed.” She liked order, liked structure. The regime that had formed by her adoptive brothers and father had helped to soothe the chaos that had always been just below the surface. To this day it still helped soothe her, the familiarity of it.

“Well Miss Not-Obsessing, you better head to bed soon because you and I are getting up early tomorrow.”

Helena straightened, her head cocking in confusion in a way that Dinah always found a little adorable. “For what?”

“Because we are going to go to a market being held downtown tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“Because for the past few weeks all we’ve been doing is sleeping, training, and fighting. And we deserve a break.”

The thought of a large market made Helena slightly uncomfortable. She still wasn’t used to large crowds, always finding her hyper-vigilance seemed to go into overdrive with so many vectors around. It seemed worse when Dinah was around because she was afraid of the other woman being hurt. Logically she knew Dinah could take care of herself, she had seen that first hand so many times. Yet, the thought of something happening to the other woman caused her heart to clench. 

Dinah saw the uncertainty flash across Helena’s face and she reached out, brushing her fingers over Helena’s. “Just for fun. We deserve a break and I would really like to show you this. It’s in my old neighborhood and we’ll get some of the best empanadas this side of 26th street.”

The sincerity of the gestures, of wanting to share a bit of herself, combined with the feel of Dinah’s hand against her own, seemed to make the decision for her. Oh, Paolo would be giving her so much shit right now. “Sure,” She finally gruffed, still unsure about the prospect of large crowds, but seeing the smile bloom over Dinah’s face made it worth it. 

-=-

“Do you want to take my bike or your car?” Helena asked as she slipped on her jacket.

“Your bike sounds good,” Dinah said, hoping she didn’t sound as eager as she felt. She had been wanting a ride for a while now, ever since Harley had talked about the night they had found Sionis. Of course, she was more than happy to do so with fewer gunshots and car crashes and more of just her, Helena, and the machine.

“Okay. Let me get my spare helmet,” Helena said. 

“I can grab it if you want to go ahead and bring your bike around. It’s hanging by your door, right?” Helena nodded. “Cool, Let me finish getting changed and I’ll meet you downstairs in just a few minutes." Helena nodded and walked out. Dinah watched her go for a moment, dark eyes lingering over the long, lean frame. Heat crawled up her neck and tingled down her spine for a moment, giddy with the prospect of being wrapped around said body in a few minutes.

Downstairs Helena brought her bike around, hands tapping nervously against the gas tank as she waited for Dinah to come down. Nerves were jangling in her stomach and she wasn't exactly sure why. They were just going to a market, her and Dinah.

Usually, Renee or Cass or Harley was with them, the other two talking and laughing and filling the quiet that Helena usually lived in. That had been one thing that had taken some getting used to, the constant noise. First of the city, a far cry from the quiet Italian villa that she had grown up in, then the constant noise and energy of her new teammates.

Dinah in particular. 

She was always moving, fingers tapping, leg bouncing, a song always on her lips. It had taken a bit, but Helena had come to be able to tell a lot about the singer's moods and thoughts through the movements. Her fingers would almost jam into the table when dealing with idiots at work, a wordless lullaby would linger under her breath when she was growing tired, her entire body would sway and move to a song only she could hear as a smile flashed on her lips, her dimples making an appearance when she was happy. 

Helena hadn't really been that great at body language and social interaction, but she was getting better and found herself wanting to know more about what went on in Dinah's head, what brought out those emotions.

“Hey, ready to go?”

Helena looked up, unable to stop herself from staring. No matter what she dressed in Dinah looked gorgeous, whether it was the sleek dresses for the club or sweatpants when they were lounging about. “You...look nice.” The words were out before she could stop herself and she quickly jammed the helmet on her head to hide the burn crawling up her neck.

Dinah didn’t even try and hide the smile that crawled across her lips. She had tried hard with her outfit to look like she hadn’t been trying hard, deciding upon soft blue jeans and a yellow vest. She was glad to see that it was appreciated. Gliding forward she got on the back of the bike and tapped on Helena’s shoulder. The assassin’s head turned a little and Dinah leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of the face shield. “Thanks, Hel.” She settled back down and put her helmet on, smirking when Helena seemed frozen. “Come on, Crossbow. Market’s opening soon.” It was enough to get the taller woman to kick start the bike and they were off. Helena tried hard to not crash as Dinah enjoyed the ride.

-=-

About twenty minutes later found the two walking down the street towards Dorrance Avenue. It was an off the beaten path kinda road that was currently closed down, allowing for the Sunday market to burst to life. Even this early people were milling about, families shopping and sellers discussing their wares with curious onlookers as people who lived in the apartments that the market butted up to opened their windows and watched the people below. Further down the street, a band had already taken up, the beautiful sounds of a steel guitar and drums beginning to make its way over the murmurs of the crowd. The entire place was filled with memories for Dinah, summers of running through a busted open fire hydrant, hours spent on stoops with friends, shooting the shit until her mother called for her to come in, weekends spent at this very market, hanging out with her mother or with friends. It felt good to be back.

Helena found her eyes bouncing from one area to the next, taken with the wide array of sights and sounds. Since she had been back in Gotham she hadn’t had much time to take in anything that didn’t have to do with her revenge. Now though she was surrounded by so many sights and sounds and smells it was almost dizzying; brightly colored shirts and blankets with swirling designs, a rainbow of flowers clustered together in different varieties, perfuming the air and making Helena’s nose itch to take each one in. Her mind briefly flashed to her family’s home where her grandmother had kept a massive garden with flowers from all over the world and for a moment her smile dropped into wistfulness before her attention turned towards a food vendor with something sizzling in a cast-iron pot.

Dinah watched the other woman, taken by what she was seeing. Helena was a very serious person, only recently seeming to have learned how to laugh. But right now, her dark eyes bright and searching, a smile on her lips, Dinah could almost see Helena as she should be, without the weight of tragedy, a bright, beautiful woman.

Dinah blinked as the word registered, but she played around with it, realizing despite its surprise, she couldn’t disagree. It had taken time, but since the two were the only ones living at the tower they spent quite a bit of time together, both solitary women finding a groove with one another that had surprised them both. Helena had a dry sense of humor and naivety to her that was endearing, and a sharp mind often hidden behind a quiet demeanor.

“Are these the empanadas you were talking about?” Helena asked, breaking through Dinah’s musings. The woman blinked and refocused, looking at the old woman who was expertly pinching closed another handful of the treats.

“That they are, let’s get a few to share while we walk around,” Dinah said as they walked closer.

“Dinah! It’s so good to see you again, mija,” The older woman behind the table smiled brightly, waving Dinah closer. Dinah moved around the table and was immediately pulled into a strong hug, that smelt strongly of rose water and flour.

“Hey Nana.”

“How have you been?”

“Good, just living over on Gardner. I was showing my friend the old neighborhood,” Dinah replied as moved back around the table to stand by Helena. “Helena, this is Cora De Los Santos, the neighborhood nana and best empanada maker this side of town. Nana, this is Helena. A dear friend of mine. I was telling Helena about your empanadas. She’s never had one before.”

“Oh then you are in for a treat. Come, which would you like?” Warm, rich brown eyes looked at Helena from a soft, wrinkled face. Helena glanced at the selection before deciding on one filled with black beans and beef. It sounded good. To her surprise the woman scooped up two, before adding another three from other piles to the selection and handing them over. Helena started to reach for her wallet, but was waved off. “Think of it as a gift. It’s been some time since young Dinah has come back to the market with a friend. Have you known her long?”

“Just a few months now,” Helena said, taking her food from the woman. When she saw the raised eyebrow prompting her, Helena bit into the small pocket of food and her eyes widened at the taste of the flaky pastry mixing with a delicious mix of spices, meat, and beans. A moan of appreciation escaped her before she could stop herself. Twin laughter came from the two other women, but one was of pride, the other was adoration. Helena didn’t know which made her blush harder, but she had to admit both made her happy. “This is really good,” She finally said after swallowing. “Thank you, senora.”

“Pah, too formal. Nana will do.”

Helena smiled. How could she not? “Okay. Thank you, Nana.”

Cora grinned brightly. “You will have to bring her around again. Come over for dinner sometime. I know Santana would love to meet her.”

Dinah laughed, thinking of the young girl that had been like a sister to her when they were growing up. The girl had a wild streak that reminded her of Harley, though without the staggering level of psychosis. “Course. It would be good to see her again.”

“Excellent. I’ll see you next Thursday,” Cora said, and Dinah nodded, not bothering to argue. She had learned early on there was no point. Come hell or high water they were going to be there or she would never hear the end of it. “Good, now go on. Show your friend the rest of the market. It was good meeting you, Helena.”

“You too, Sen-I mean Nana,” Helena said awkwardly, the word still new on her tongue. The two walked away after Dinah gave Cora another hug before they continued on. “I liked her.”

Dinah grinned brightly at hearing this. “She’s one of the few good people still in Gotham. She was my babysitter whenever my mom had to work. I grew up with her granddaughter, Santana. We were inseparable growing up.”

“What happened?”

“After my mom died I...wanted to get away from this neighborhood as quickly as possible,” Dinah said softly, taking a breath to try and rid the weight that was pressing down on her middle. It wasn’t as sharp as it used to be, more like the dull ache of a poked bruise then a fractured bone. Her mother’s absence always hurt, and while there were days when she couldn’t even think of her mother without seeing her limp body on the sidewalk, there seemed to be more and more better days.

A warm hand brushing against her wrist pulled her attention back to the present day and she turned to see Helena looking at her with those large dark eyes, swimming with care and a flickering pain that Dinah knew too well. “It...it takes a while, but gets better. She would be proud of you, ya know. You’ve done alotta really good things.”

The words were halting, awkward, and so Helena. Dinah smiled, touched by the show of emotion she knew Helena was only just getting used to. “Thanks Hel,” She replied. Helena nodded and turned, taking another bite of her food and humming softly in appreciation. It was so adorable and Dinah memorized the picture as she felt her earlier sorrow remembering her mother had stirred up begin to recede. “Come on,” She finally said when she was able to get her throat working again. “Let’s keep going. Maybe we can find something for the tower.”

They continued down the thoroughfare, soon moving away from the food vendors and moving into the house and kitchen wares. Helena was amazed at the array of craftsmanship, from metal and wood to cloth. She found her way over to a booth that was selling quilts. There was a variety, some simple with a color or two, others with an array of colors it was almost dizzying, while others still depicted quaint scenes of rolling hills and rivers. She stopped in front of one that showed a verdant hill dotted with white flowers beneath a sapphire blue sky. Without thinking her fingers brushed over the soft fabric, but instead of cloth she felt the soft tickle of petals against her fingertips. In the distance, she could make out the shouts of voices, familiar but distant, feel the warm summer breeze perfumed by the wild Trilliums that grew plentiful here.

 _‘Come on,_ tesora _! Lunch is ready!’_

Her father’s voice faded through her mind like the breeze and was gone just as quickly.

Dinah reached out a hand, shocked when she saw a tear roll down Helena’s cheek. “Helena?”

Helena blinked, a soft gasp pulling from her lips as she came back to the present. Her hand drifted into her pocket, fingers brushing over the worn toy car that never strayed far from her side, her touchstone. “Sorry,” She said, shaking her head. “I just...this reminded me of a park that my family and I used to go to when I was younger. Before,” She trailed off with another shake of her head. “Wild Trilliums grew everywhere.”

Dinah watched Helena worried about the tears, but those dark eyes were warm, not shuttered. Helena didn’t talk often about her pasts, snippets here and there that had only recently become of better memories. Without another word, she turned to flag the seller down. The man walked over, smiling brightly. “Yes?”

“Can we buy this, please?”

Helena blinked in surprise. “Dinah…”

Dinah flashed her a smile before turning back to the man.

“Course. It’ll be 210.” Helena tried to stop her again, but again Dinah only smiled and held out her card which was swiped and the blanket was carefully bagged up. “Thank you for the purchase.”

“Thank you, have a great day.” They walked away and Dinah handed Helena the bag. Carefully the assassin brushed her fingers over the blanket.

“You didn't have to,” She said softly. There was no ungratefulness but wonder.

“Was gonna try and find somethin’ for the loft anyway. The fact that it made you smile like that, makes it worth every penny.”

Helena looked up from the blanket, gulping down the lump in her throat. To know that Dinah spent so much money just to see Helena smile, sparked something between her ribs, growing until she felt it press against her heart and stutter her breath. Her arms wrapped around the blanket, pressing it to her chest. “Thank you,” She whispered. A warm palm brushed against her cheek, equally warm lips brushing against the other.

“You’re more than welcome,” Dinah said. She pulled back, feeling the keen loss as she pulled her hand away. To sate herself she twinned her fingers through Helena's longer ones and gave a small tug. "There's more to see. Maybe we can find some stuff for the others." Helena nodded, jaw clenching as she didn't fully trust herself to speak quite yet.

They moved down the sidewalk, both eventually noticing their hands still clasped, and neither quite ready to let go.


End file.
